An eyewitness to Dawn Brancheau's tragic 2010 death describes how Tilikum grabbed Brancheau and proceeded to ram and kill her in front of terrified visitors.

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On Feb. 24, 2010, a gruesome tragedy occurred at SeaWorld Florida: The orca Tilikum killed his trainer, Dawn Brancheau—snatching her from the shallows of his pool, pulling her underwater, scalping and ramming her, and refusing to relinquish her body.

In November 2012, through the Freedom of Information Act, TakePart obtained eyewitness interviews of Brancheau’s death. The interviews were conducted by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office on or around that fateful day.

These accounts make it abundantly clear why such close proximity to the ocean’s apex predator can create an unsafe workplace.

The legal fallout of Brancheau’s death is long and complicated, but the bottom line is that cetaceans of all types, be they whales or dolphins, should not be held in small tanks, forced to live a life performing tricks for food.

In this eyewitness account, Lynne Schaber, a trainer at Shamu Stadium, SeaWorld Florida, describes how Tilikum grabbed Brancheau and proceeded to ram and kill her in front of terrified visitors.

about takepart

TakePart — a digital news & lifestyle magazine and social action platform for the conscious consumer — is a division of Participant Media, the company behind Pivot Television Network and important films such as An Inconvenient Truth, Waiting For Superman, Food, Inc., Good Night & Good Luck, Charlie Wilson’s War, Contagion, The Help, and many others. Learn more about Participant Media.